Turn Around
by calexuslee
Summary: Eric promises himself he'll approach her if she turns around and makes eye contact with him, but she doesn't and the moment is gone before he can move a muscle. Will fate be in his favor, or will he forever agonize over that moment when she didn't turn around?AH/OOC
1. Chapter 1

**Something to be aware of with this story; it's my _writer's block story._****Therefore updates will be sporadic if best and I don't know how long this will be. I see it being no more than 10 chapters if that; but I never go with what I say. ****And I know nothing about the army or the ongoings related to it, so just nod your head and say okay. **

**I own nothing**

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I saw her for the first time today, loading food into a Peace Corps truck for the starving children. We were on a tour going through Africa and had just stopped at an army base camp. I wanted to approach her, with her honey wheat hair and smooth curves. She smiled at everyone that approached her and my mouth got dry just watching her work. I felt like I was looking at a sculpture of a goddess just flitting around doing her best to improve the world. She spread her love and joy to all, and if she would just turn to me and look at me I would get up and walk over to her. I would muster up all the courage and strength I used every day to fight the evil in the world and ask her out. I don't know where we'd go, but she'd say yes and I would pick her up and whirl her around in front of my whole unit and her friends. If she'd just turn around and look at me.

I ignored the conversations going on around me as my buddies talked about the newest Maxim that the mail courier brought us, or the special can of beans we got to eat tonight instead of the on the go mush we usually ate. They all tried to snap me out of my trance, and one even went as far as to dump water on me, but all I could see was her. How could they not see her? In her short denim shorts and white tshirts, she was simply glowing. My heart was in my throat as the seconds turned into minutes and I knew soon that if she didn't turn and look the moment would be gone and I'd probably never see her again. She'd marry some other man and have beautiful babies, a white picket fence, and the whole god damn nine yards. But I wanted her to have that with me. A man she had never talked to or seen before in her life.

That was it. I was going to do it. Fuck if she had looked at me yet or not. As I stood and attempted to brush the dirt and sweat off of my uniform I looked up and her truck was gone. I went in a full 360, like a crazed father looking for his missing daughter at a carnival. Where had my blonde goddess gone? I swallowed deeply as I realized I had missed my chance. I rubbed my palms in my eyes angrily. Maybe I had imagined it. Maybe in this sweltering desert I had finally lost my mind and had seen a mirage.

"Hey, Eric man, you doing okay?"

I took my hands out of my eyes and looked over to see my best friend Alcide coming up to me. His shaggy black hair was pushed back by a stupid blue bandana I had bought him in Djbouti and there was sweat dripping down his face. I wasn't the only one suffering in this heat.

"Did you see her?" I sounded crazed.

"That sexy blonde piece of ass?"

"No the beautiful blonde goddess." I was exasperated.

"Yeah, the truck is going from village to village. You know how the Peace Corps people are, always on the move."

"I was going to – "

"C'mon man. You'll either see her again or you won't. If it was meant to be, then it'll happen. Maybe the timing wasn't right." Alcide had always been a strong believer in karma and destiny. I'd believe when I saw it, if it ever happened.

I'm glad we didn't make bets on it.

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**Updates on Wordpress first (this may become a wordpress exlusive because updating in two places is tedious). Please review**


	2. Chapter 2

**Didn't proof read. **

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There were no stars tonight or the moon to guide us. To put it simply it was dark. Like squinting your eyes shut and pulling a blanket over your head dark. Throw silence on top of that and it was eerie. There was the silent chirp of the crickets calling out to each other among the dense foliage and the constant thumping of my heart beating in my ears. I knew that Alcide was sitting under another tree half a kilometer north of me, probably trying to carve more daggers out of nearby wood. He'd taken up this odd hobby during our night watches in the past month, while I'd taken to fanaticizing about my blonde goddess. I had hoped that as our unit moved onto the next village a couple days after the Peace Corps had gone that I would see her again. But the villagers had said that her group had only stayed there for a day before moving on. Alcide had seen the defeated look on my face and had simply told me, "Serendipity isn't ready." Whatever the hell that meant.

At least getting that simple little glance of her had given me some motivation. To keep moving forward and fighting hard because the Peace Corps couldn't be that far ahead of us. The other men of my unit found my hopes laughable and comparable to that of a teenage girl pining after Justin Bieber. I'll always resent my father a little for giving me his curse of talking in his sleep. Nobody but Alcide would have known about my obsession if I could have stopped myself for constantly moaning about the blonde beauty who I had started calling sweetheart. Just label me a level four stalker.

I laid my head back against the trunk of the tree I was leaning on and squeezed the bridge of my nose. The unfairness of it all was torture. To be so obsessed with someone who had never even seen me was embarrassing not to mention a 99% lost cause. Someone who looked like her was probably married or at least had a devoted boyfriend who kissed the ground she walked on. And this is where my fantasies started; me as her boyfriend until we eventually got married and had beautiful blonde blue eyed children running around us as we kissed and made dinner in a large kitchen with granite counter tops and an island. I was imagining my perfect life, not crazy sex positions like all the men assumed I was doing when I got stuck in my head. The captain in charge of our unit told me it was good, it gave me a purpose. But I knew better, I had heard the men whispering about my distractions and how it was going to get me killed. Thus was my dilemma, because the blonde beauty was not going to be leaving my thoughts anytime soon.

I was snapped out of my moping by a branch being broken. It sounded like a foot broke the piece of wood in its owner's attempts at stealth. I crouched down low and grabbed my rifle. I squinted through the crosshairs trying to find the cause of the noise, but I saw nothing. It could have been an animal, just a branch finally breaking off a tree, or it could have been someone trying to get closer to me to slit my throat. I continued to look around in the darkness, trying to find anything. It was too quiet here for me to contact Alcide through our walkies. The noise would alert whoever or whatever it was that was in my proximity.

Suddenly there was a bright flash and then a bang of a stun grenade going off. I tried coughing through it and getting on the coms to talk to Alcide, but he beat me to it.

"Fuck! Eric I can't see for shit and I don't know who or what it is!" There was static as he finished yelling through.

I couldn't respond though because I was under heavy fire. There was something too familiar about these weapons, but I wasn't going to be stupid enough to fire back when I had no idea who I was shooting at or even what direction it was coming from. There was a ringing in my head from all the noise and I attempted to crawl across the ground to meet up with Alcide. Alone we were dead, but together we could at least formulate something.

"Alcide, I'm moving toward you!" I shouted through the mouthpiece connected to my helmet.

"Eric wait!"

But I didn't hear him, because I was groaning in agony on the ground from the two bullets that had gone straight through my right quad muscles.

My eyes were fighting to stay open, but the pain and blood loss were getting to me. I could hear myself gasping and the gunshots had stopped. And then there was yelling. Too much of it that just didn't make sense.

"What the fuck did you do!"

"Holy moses are you shitting me right now," this was Alcide. I could tell by the growling. "You are not going to tell me that you misfired on your own unit members. You fucking idiot. I'll deal with you later. We have to get Northman back to camp. You three, stay back and keep up the watch, this imbecile and I will take care of Eric and update the Captain on this massive fuckup."

What the flying fuck had happened?

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"Eric, you sexy Viking, wake up and talk to me." There was a soft hand caressing down my chest closer and closer to where I really wanted it to be.

I opened my eyes and there she was, my beautiful goddess gazing down at me with her gorgeous blue eyes and her sexy pink lips jutting out in her worry for me. I wanted to lean up and lick them open so that I could meld our mouths together and yank her voluptuous body down on mine.

"Sweetheart," I gritted out as her hand reached my leg and squeezed painfully.

I jolted up suddenly and yelled out, "Fuck!" Not only was that a dream and my sweetheart was not here caressing my body, but my leg felt like it was on fire with daggers impaling it.

"Alcide, I'm going to need you to restrain him while I try to get the bullet out." I identified the voice as Isabel, the medic.

"Brother, focus on my sexy green eyes since your sweetheart isn't here." Alcide moved into my field of vision and made a kissy face at me. I hated him right now, but couldn't help and laugh at his lame ass attempt at humor.

"What happened?" I growled as I felt Isabel sticking a sharp piece of metal into my leg.

"Damn Izzy, don't have any more pain meds?" Alcide ignored my question and watched Isabel work with a worried expression.

"Sorry boys, we are running low. We're supposed to be getting more medicine in the next town over because they have a hospital. But for right now Eric, you are just going to have to show us how much of a man you are." Isabel sounded apologetic, but that didn't help my current situation.

"How bad is it?" I wasn't ready to go home.

"Two bullets straight through your upper right leg. Even if I get these bullets out cleanly, you are still going to have to go on leave for physical therapy. You aren't going to be able to do your panty dropping strut for awhile."

"Looks like I'll just have to work harder to please the ladies then, huh?" Alcide grinned down at me. I wanted to slap the beard off his chiseled face.

"Tell me what happened. Dammit!" I slammed my fist down on the cot that served as my makeshift gurney. This hurt like hell.

Alcide sighed and rubbed his monstrous hand across his face, "Longshadow got a little gun happy. He said he heard some branch crack and then he just started shooting. Then Clancy, that little shithead accidentally dropped a stun grenade, and well here we are."

That would explain why the weapons sounded so familiar. They were ours. "Any other injuries," I was mad at the stupid mistake, but I still cared for these men.

"Two bullets grazed my abdomen, but other than you, everyone else is good."

"How nice for them," Izzy mumbled. She always did have a soft spot for Alcide and I. I was pretty sure that her and Alcide liked to keep each other warm on the cold nights, but who was I to judge.

"Oh fuck," I could feel tears pricking at my eyes. I was a grown man; I was fighting so hard not to cry at the pain radiating around my leg.

"Alright, I got them out." Isabel held up two long bullets painted with my blood up to my eyes. "Now I'll just do some quick stitching and all three of us we'll be on the next plane to the states. We're homebound boys."

I looked up at Alcide and saw him smiling, "All three of us?"

His grin got bigger, "Well I got shot too. And I can't just let you go anywhere by yourself as a cripple."

"And Izzy?" I looked between the two of them. Something passed between their gazes.

"I'm your doctor. I can't just send my patient off by himself."

I watched Alcide stare at her as she walked out of the tent to grab something. I could see the way he was gazing at her slender figure and curly black hair as it swung around in her long pony tail. He was looking at her like she was the last drop of water in the Sahara desert. He was looking at the Spanish doctor the way I stared at my Peace Corps beauty. Alcide had found his sweetheart.

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**1 week later**

Adjusting to the life of a regular citizen in the city was odd at best. For the time being I was a normal everyday man, not somebody who had shot and killed people for a living. Alcide had been staying with me at my apartment helping me with my daily activities. I couldn't wait until this was over and I could go back to being a valid and mobile person. Until that point, Alcide and I were never going to discuss or even attempt to joke about him helping me shower and use the bathroom. Today we were finally going to go for my consultation so I could get a referral for a physical therapy clinic. Thank god, because I was going stir crazy from all the sitting.

As Alcide started to drive at the road I noticed myself clenching my muscles. There were so many more noises and movements here. People constantly appearing out of nowhere and cars moving in dangerous maneuvers, I was going to need a little more time to adjust to the hustle and bustle of society. A teeny bopper found it funny when Alcide and I startled at his old chevy backfiring. Such an asshole, like we weren't just risking our lives so he could live the life he had today.

I was glad when we reached the Brigant hospital, at least we wouldn't be around cars. Although I didn't account for all the beeping and rushing of doctors moving around. I was starting to get a real headache from it all. I didn't relax until we were safely in the doctor's office, secluded from the insanity of the real world. I sighed audibly and Alcide patted my shoulder in understanding.

"It's going to get better."

"Yeah Alcide? When is that? Because I don't see it getting better anytime soon." Even I could sense the whiny bitch in my tone.

Before Alcide could snap back at me, an elderly gentleman walked in. He looked like he was eighty but had a serene aura about him, but by god it looked like the slightest breeze of air was going to shatter his brittle bones.

"Sergeant Northman, I am Doctor Brigant. But you can call me Niall because I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a lot of each other." I could see him eyeing my leg propped up by the wheelchair.

"Please, call me Eric. I'm just a normal civilian. This is my brother, Alcide." We shook hands and then he read my chart briefly.

"Your army doctor seems to have taken care of this quite well. The stitches are healing nicely, but in comparison to your left leg you have already lost a lot of muscle. Although that's to be expected. I'm going to prescribe you to keep taking Vicodin and the inflammatory pills. And of course keep up with the washing of the wounds or it's going to get infected." Alcide cleared his throat at the mention of washing and I shot him a dirty glare.

"And physical therapy?" I was in a hurry to get better, emphasis on the hurry. I really hated people taking care of me.

"Ah yes yes." He handed me a brochure. "This is Stackhouse Physical Therapy. The head physical therapist is amazing and will take fantastic care of you. You'll be back to yourself in no time. If you don't have any more questions, I'll see you again in a month? You can schedule your next appointment with the receptionists."

"No I – "

"Can he be sexually active?" Alcide cut me off and I face palmed.

Niall looked between us curiously with his old blue eyes and a slight crinkle on his face, I swear he was trying not to laugh. "He can if he isn't physically exerting himself."

"So if the woman does all the work?"

"For the love of god Alcide, shut up. I really appreciate this Doc. I'll be sure to schedule the next appointment and see you in a month." I shot Alcide a glare as Niall smirked at us and walked out.

"So Stackhouse Physical Therapy. Something feels good about this place," I raised my eyebrows at Alcide's comment, but he just shrugged. "I can just feel it man. This Stackhouse person, they are going to change your life."

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**Please Review. It warms my soul**


	3. Chapter 3

Just diagnose me as stir crazy. For the past week I had been slouched down in my wheel chair staring down the three flights at the bustling city below me. Every time a curvy blonde strutted down the sidewalk my hands would start to sweat and I would crane my body to try to see if God had finally blessed me and it was my beauty walking down the street. It never was.

I had been impatiently waiting for this Dr. Stackhouse to find time to see me so I could get back to my life and tomorrow was finally going to be the start of my physical therapy. Currently I was trying to ignore the fact that Alcide and Isabel had gone into his room to see the various things he had collected from his travels all over the world. Code word: fucking while the cripple was in the other room. I pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation. Someone come save me –

"Eric Northman as I live and breathe!"

Thank god. I wheeled my chair around to see Pamela Ravenscroft, the female Eric, standing in the doorway with a huge grin on her face. I snorted at her attire which was clearly more expensive than my hospital bills. She was wearing black jeans with a white tanktop, red fuck me pumps, and a red leather jacket. I shook my head at her; always had to be ready for the paparazzi that never followed her.

"You didn't call me, fucker." Pam walked closer and stared at my leg like it was oozing puss.

"Jesus, language."

She rolled her steely blue eyes at me, "I'm sorry did you get hit in the head over there? My name is Pam and I always swear. Or maybe you aren't my best friend, because the Eric Northman I know would not have been home for two weeks and not have called me. Seriously Eric, Alcide that hairy bastard had to let me know! "

"Shut up and give me a hug." I held out my arms for her.

I squeezed her tightly and I heard her mutter "fucker" under her breath. Ladies and gentlemen, Pam.

"So where is Alcide right now?"

"Showing Izzy his collection."

Pam smirked, "So…fucking?"

"Yep."

"Well, Eric, let's get out of here then. You know how loud he can be."

"And do what Pam," I growled out, "If you hadn't noticed I'm a little crippled now."

"Holy shit, take the stick out of your ass. I have something I want to show you. You can sit there the whole time."

"I don't want to go outside."

"And why not?"

"There are too many people and too many noises."

"Welp, you aren't going back anytime soon are you?"

"No…"

Pam stood behind me and started to wheel me forward without my permission, "Well then let's go!"

"Pushy bitch."

"There's the Eric I love!"

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"Here she is!" Pam waved her arm at the broken down building behind her.

I raised my eyebrows at her as I turned my wheelchair around and looked at the deserted street around us. The building Pam seemed so excited was built by grey brick and had tall paned windows on the upper level. The most visually striking part was the large white doors that cut into the building and removed its fourth corner. I always liked things that were a little abstract in shape. Behind the building you could see the taller buildings of the city's skyline. It was a nice place, but I couldn't figure out why we were here when there didn't seem to be anyone else around either. A lone red Acura drove by with the driver looking at us suspiciously, as if to say: _Why are a woman and a man in a wheelchair standing on this abandoned street? _

"Okay, give me a clue Pam. Did you bring me here to murder me?" I turned toward her and noticed her bright smile dimming a little.

"Eric, get your head out of your ass. This is the _EP_. We're finally going to do it."

My eyes widened a little. Pam and I had talked about opening our own nightclub long before I had joined the army, but it was just a pipe dream. She had said we would name it the _EP_, nice and simple just our initials thrown together. I never thought we would actually do it. She always said we would be perfect at it with our backgrounds in Business Management, but I had chosen to go into the military instead of finishing my education. What the hell did I know about running any type of business, let alone a nightclub?

"C'mon Pam," I could hear the incredulity laced in my voice.

"No, Eric. This is what you need. Something to focus on, Alcide told me how mopey you've been and that's not you."

"I can't afford this – "

She thrust a folder at me, "This is our lease and contract stating your 51% share in our new business."

"How did – "

"Shut up Eric and take it. I owe you everything, and this is me repaying you. You are my best friend and we've always talked about doing this together and now that you are out, we can. I know you need to focus on your physical therapy, but what else do you have to do?"

"I have things…" I trailed off because even I could smell the bull shit.

Pam smirked at my current silence and threw the folder in my lap, "Now that that's settled let's go to this twenty four hour hole in the wall down the street, I heard it's delicious. Something called _Southern Delights._"

"Well that's convenient. Maybe we can get into some kind of business deal with the owner so our patrons will have somewhere to eat or something," my mind was already swimming with the possibilities of making _EP _flourish.

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"What the fuck is this!" Pam gestured wildly at the closed sign. "This is clearly not a 24/7 place and I do not want to get involved with the fucking owner. Fuck."

"Pam, it says that the owner is out travelling. In fact they'll be open by the end of the week because the owner will be returning. If you would calm down and read, you could see this on this note." I stabbed my finger at the paper taped inside of the glass door.

The outside of the building was painted purple and clearly needed a touch up. It was in the middle of a tattoo parlor and a pawn shop, which was a little shady in my opinion, but I tried not to judge food before I tasted it. Hell, it might be the best food I'd ever tasted. I would definitely be coming back to this so called _Southern Delights _when they opened. And maybe with Alcide because nobody enjoyed stuffing their face more than that hairy bastard.

"Whatever. I'm hungry and there is a Starbucks up the road from here."

Pam started to walk away, but I couldn't stop staring at the building. There was something about this place.

"Eric, you okay?"

"What?"

"You are staring at this place like it's the Taj Mahal."

"It just might be."

Pam just raised her eyebrow at me and kept walking forward. I wheeled after her frowning at the closed sign and then at my bum leg.

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After spending two hours too many with Pam in the Starbucks arguing about paint colors she finally dropped me off back at my apartment. How could paint colors be so exhausting?

"Eric! Welcome back. We were looking for you." I rolled in the front door to see Alcide and Izzy lounging on the couch with his arm around her shoulders. Their hair looked wet and they had that after sex glow around them. Looking for me my ass.

"Welp, Pam had to show me something."

"Aww, Eric stop sounding like such a negative nelly, you are so depressing." Alcide made puppy dog eyes at me.

Isabelle grabbed Alcide's beard and yanked his head down until he looked her in the eye. "Babe, you aren't the one in the wheelchair. Stop patronizing him."

I swear to god I watched Alcide melt into her and nuzzle her face with his beard, "Sorry." I knew he was just saying it to appease her, but I accepted it anyways.

"Izzy you can't teach an old dog new tricks, and besides we have a love hate relationship."

Alcide continued to bury his face into the side of her neck while she turned her hazel eyes to me, "Don't condone his actions, Eric Northman."

I held my hands up in surrender. When she got that tone of voice I wouldn't go up against Izzy even if I had a firearm on me. I wheeled into the kitchen and got a glass of water while they continued to snuggle on the couch. When I rolled back into the living room Izzy had moved to Alcide's lap and was whispering things into his ears. I wasn't jealous. I wasn't.

"So what did Pammy show you today?" Alcide turned his attention back to me.

"We are going to open the _EP."_

"No shit! I'm happy for you two, you've been talking about that forever."

"What's the _EP_?" Izzy looked between us.

"Just a nightclub Pam and I have always talked about opening." I shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh yeah no big deal, just opening a night club. What's the name mean?"

"It's just our initials, Eric and Pam."

"I haven't met her yet, but you guys talk about her a lot. When are you two getting married?"

I spit my water out across the room. It's easy to forget that Izzy hasn't been a part of our whole lives and that she just moved across the country for Alcide. She had so much to learn about our lives here and our city.

"Pam is a lesbian. She is my best friend, that's all." I choked out.

"She is basically Eric in a female body. It's really quite creepy. And besides, Eric is holding out for his dream girl that he has never actually talked to." Alcide interjected.

"Oh right, your sweetheart!" Izzy grinned mischievously at me.

"And when are you two getting married?" I raised my eyebrows. That shut them right up.

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**It's been forever, I know. None of my stories have been abandoned. I ask for your patience and continued support. **

**This was unbeta'd and not proof read at all. Deepest apologies, but I needed to get something out.**

**And if you have ever been to Beth's cafe in Seattle, that's my inspiration for _Southern Delights. _Google it. It's pretty awesome. **


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